This invention relates generally to wellhead equipment and deals more particularly with an arrangement for testing a metal seal incorporated in a wellhead assembly.
During completion of oil and gas wells, the wellhead components are tightly sealed against one another to prevent leakage of the well fluids. Although the seals are normally tested for leakage before the well is brought into production, such testing is typically carried out from the outside of the seals. Even if the seals test successfully from the outside, they may nevertheless leak considerably when exposed to fluid pressure from the inside, particularly in high pressure wells. As a result, many faulty seals are not detected until the well is in actual production. This circumstance not only presents a serious safety hazard, but it also causes a significant loss of well fluid and involves substantial expense and delay due to the need to disassemble the wellhead for replacement of the defective seal or seals. These and other related problems have been compounded in recent years by the trend toward deeper wells in which there is an increased likelihood of seal failure because of the high pressures that are encountered.